Demons of the Past
by TheNotoriousNovelist
Summary: When Leo gets arrested for his father's crimes, Aries gets Fairy Tail to testify that he doesn't deserve to be punished for his father's doings. Luckily, they get him off the hook for the most part but he may still be charged. There's only one way to get Leo out of this scott free and that's by bringing in his missing father who hasn't been seen since the Celestial Spirit Civil War
1. Prologue: A Chance at Happiness

** This is my second attempt with this concept so be kind.**

**Okay, I'm not sure how old Leo is supposed to be but I'd guess he's about 18. I'm not sure how old Aries is supposed to be either so I'm gonna say she's about 18 too. This is in Celestial Spirit years, mind you, so, in Earthland, they're a lot older. I dunno, let's just say they're both physically 18 but I'm not sure of their chronocogical ages.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail.**

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><p><span>Demons of the Past<span>

Prologue:

A Chance at Happiness

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><p>Leo and Aries walked along the river's edge together, just listening to the water and enjoying each other's company. Aries was leaning against him with their arms hooked together.<p>

"Remember when we met Aquarius in this river? You were teaching me how to fish but I forgot you fish like a lion and you bit down on a fish tail. But it turned out to be Aquarius and she hit you in the head with her water jug! You were so bewildered you forgot you were the one who provoked her and you got in a fight! You were a lion cub in water so, naturally, you lost," Aries told the story.

"Haha! Yeah... I was a crazy little kid, wasn't I?" Leo laughed, scratching the back of his head.

Aries giggled, taking hold of his hand in both of hers and tugged him along. She pulled him on top of a rock and they looked down at the sudden drop of the waterfall.

"Didn't I dare you to jump into the water from here?" she asked, looking down into the water.

"Yes, you did and I did it like an idiot," Leo said with a devious smirk as he got an idea "and now... for my revenge,"

Aries turned to face him to ask what he meant when he suddenly tackled her. In fright, she took hold of his collar and pulled him down too. They fell down and splash-landed into the water.

"Leo!" Aries shrieked and splashed him after they resurfaced.

Laughing, he swam to the shore and pulled himself out of the water. He lay on his back and opened his eyes, breathing heavily.

"Leo, a hand over here?" Aries said.

He looked up to see her pink hair was in her face and her woollen clothing was heavy with water. So, Leo got to his feet, reached into the water and lifted Aries out bridal style. She kept her hands tucked in to her chest as she was lifted up and pushed against Leo's chest in the process. Aries timidly lifted a hand up and moved her hair out of her face to look at him. Wanting to be close to him, Aries lifted her hand to cup his cheek and turn his face to look at her. She leaned up and kissed him, ignoring the wet strands of hair still in her face.

"I'm going to go change," she said.

Aries got out of his arms and she hid away to change out of her soaking wet outfit. When she returned she wore just a plain white sundress with a pink bolero jacket to cover her shoulders. Leo was laying on his back on the river bank with a look on his face. He too had changed into something dry that was just a shirt and trousers. He seemed tense but Aries hadn't seen him _this_ tense since they were under contract with Karen Lilica. She sat behind him and began rubbing his shoulders like she usually did to ease his stress.

"So, what now?" Aries asked, wrapping her arms around him from behind and resting her head on his shoulder "It's a beautiful day, just look at the cosmos," and she gestured upwards.

Leo smiled and leaned back in her arms. For that moment, everything was perfect. He was with Aries, a girl he hoped to go steady with soon, and they were looking up at the purplish void the planetary bodies of their world floated in. Aries rested her cheek against his mane of ginger hair and sighed in peace of the situation.

"Leo the Lion? Aries the Ram?" came a voice and a bunny-like spirit came hopping over to them.

"That's us," said Leo, sitting up and Aries kept hold of his shoulders.

"The Celestial Spirit King asks for your presence in the Celestial Court," said the bunny spirit "Concerning the status of one Claec the Lion,"

Leo clawed at the grass at the name and Aries began giving him a slight shoulder rub in response to his sudden increase of stress.

"When?" the Lion asked, a dark look in his eyes.

"Immediately," said the bunny spirit.

Leo groaned and fell back in Aries' arms. Even in absence, Claec was ruining any chance at happiness he had.


	2. Chap 1: Inheriting the Sins of Another

Demons of the Past

Chapter 1:

Inheriting the Sins of Another

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><p><em>...Earthland...<em>

As usual, the day began with Gray and Natsu duking it out. Carla rolled her eyes at their antics and Happy cheered Natsu on. Juvia quietly cheered Gray on from behind a pillar. Lucy was scribbling down a scene for her new mystery novel when her pouch of Celestial Spirit Keys began glowing. In a puff of pink clouds, Aries appeared with a _particularly_ worried look on her face.

"I-I'm sorry to interrupt, Miss Lucy, but..." she stammered "BUT LEO NEEDS YOUR HELP!" the usually shy Celestial Spirit shouted.

"Loke's in trouble?" Gray questioned, putting pause on his fight with Natsu.

"What happened?" the Salamander asked.

Aries looked around as Fairy Tail crowded around her. She began cowering away in self-consciousness when Erza appeared beside her and pushed the others back.

"Give her a chance to explain," the Requip wizard said in a strong voice before turning to Aries "Now, what's this about Loke being in trouble?"

Aries was still trembling so Lisanna, being a kindly person, sat her down with a glass of water to calm her nerves. When the timid Spirit finally stopped shaking and could talk again, she gulped and looked at them all.

"Leo and I were just taking a walk by a river when a messenger from the Celestial Court came with an urgent summons to appear before the council. When we did, Leo was arrested under the *Hereditario Scelera act meaning he could be charged for the crimes of a family member!" Aries exclaimed.

"That sounds like a stupid law," said Gray "But, what crimes is he being charged with? Who committed them in the first place?"

Aries bit her lip and hugged herself.

"He's being charged with theft, treason against the King, crimes against Celestial Spirit kind and a multitude of war crimes!" she exclaimed with tears in her eyes "His father was the one to commit the crimes but... he hasn't been seen since the end of the war..."

Everyone looked at each other at the discovery that Leo/Loke had been arrested and his father was a criminal.

"Aries, this is all happening in the Celestial Spirit World, what can we do?" Lucy asked, crouching down beside her Celestial Spirit.

"In order to get Leo off the hook for his father's crimes, he needs witnesses of his good deeds. The rest of the 12 Golden Zodiac and I have already testified but the council aren't convinced. You all knew him as Loke, not Leo, for three years! So you're not biased because of his efforts in the Celestial Spirit Civil War," Aries explained "Please! Leo needs your help now more than ever!"

"But, isn't one day there, three months here?" Gray asked, gesturing with his finger.

Aries mentally groaned as they inadvertently stalled the little time she had to get them.

"You'll only be gone a few hours, that's only a few days in Earthland, maybe a week or two! Please! Leo, he... he needs your help," she exclaimed and tears began to spill down her cheeks.

Lucy put a comforting arm around the Little Lamb and smiled at her.

"Of course we'll come! It's Loke, a fellow guildmate, we're talking about!" she said which caused the Spirit to smile.

After taking the time to change into their Spirit World outfits, those going gathered in the middle of the room while those staying behind watched from the sidelines. Even Asuka, despite being only 4, was interested in seeing the "Lamby Girl" take everyone away.

"Okay, here we go," Aries warned them and timidly snapped her fingers.

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><p><strong>*Hereditario Scelera: Latin for "Inherited Crimes" according to Google Translate and we all know that's not always reliable.<strong>


	3. Chapter 2: Court is in Session

Demons of the Past

Chapter 2:

Court is in Session

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><p><em>...Celestial Spirit World...<em>

Leo was laying in his cell when he heard footsteps running up to the cell bars. Aries appeared and took hold of the bars before looking at him while panting. He sat up and his Fairy Tail friends joined his unofficial girlfriend outside of the cell.

"Jeez, Loke, seems your world's justice system needs some fine-tuning," Gray said.

Leo smiled at them as he looked to see who had come. He tried to walk over to the cell bars but the shackle around his ankle wouldn't let him get close enough even to catch a whiff of Aries' intoxicatingly heavenly cotten candy sent. He growled and pulled at the cuffs around his wrists.

"They've got you locked up tight," said Natsu "Want me to... bust you out?" and he encased his right hand in fire.

Leo just smirked.

"Natsu, I've been thrown into this jail cell so many times that it's basically a second home to me. See those initials?" he gestured to the wall where a capital L, lowercase T and another capital L were carved into the stone "They stand for Leo the Lion and I made them when I was only 14,"

"Dude, you've got to tell us everything as soon as this is over," said Gray.

"We'll get you out of here, don't worry," said Lucy, hating that one of her Celestial Spirits (even Leo) was in jail for something he didn't do.

Capricorn came to take them to testify but Aries stayed behind. She just wanted to hold his hand or something for comfort but couldn't reach him. Leo reached out to her and they locked wrists. Tears appeared in the timid Lamb's eyes since she knew the full extent of the crimes Leo's father had committed. Out of all the 12 Golden Zodiac, Aries knew Leo the best and had known him the longest.

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><p>Had it not been for the situation, Lucy would have marvelled at the beauty of the Celestial Court. It was a purplish stone ring with a huge seat for the Celestial Spirit King (who presided as the judge) to sit with just as big jury boxes (for the Celestial Council to sit) on either side with a separate booth for a Spirit that looked like a typewriter to make the trial transcript. In the middle of the ring were three stone boxes two for the accused and the defense and the third as a witness stand. Behind this was some stone bleachers for those attending the trial to sit. Surrounding all of this was the purplish void that was the Spirit World. There was a collection of Celestial Spirits in the jury boxes and a handful (including the 12 Golden Zodiac) sitting in the bleachers.<p>

Once everyone had taken their seats, the Celestial Spirit King appeared in a flash of light in the judge's seat. Leo and Capricorn appeared in the accused box and a bird-like woman wearing a white suit appeared in the defense box.

"Court is now in session," said the Celestial Spirit King.

The bird lady looked at her notebook before speaking.

"Your Majesty, the accused haven't shown evidence that Leo the Lion doesn't deserve to pay for his father's crimes," she said.

"Objection!" Capricorn interrupted her "We have found new witnesses that are unbiased towards Leo's actions in the war! I call to the stand, Lucy Heartfillia!"

"Objection, Miss Heartfillia is the accused's owner!" the opposing lawyer protested but was overruled.

Lucy disappeared from the bleachers and appeared sitting at the witness stand in a flash of light.

"Miss Heartfillia, how did you feel when you found out Leo had indirectly caused his past owner's death?" Capricorn asked her, appearing in front of the witness stand.

"Uh..." Lucy stammered, trying to come up with something to say "I, uh, felt shocked that that had happened and I felt sorry that someone like Karen Lilica had his and Aries' keys,"

"What do you think of the actions he took to protect his friend?" Capricorn asked her.

"Well... I guess it was a bit rash but he was trying to save his friend from a week in Earthland! He didn't know Karen would die..." she bit her lip and sighed "I don't want to betray his trust but... when he told me what had happened... He said the day Karen died, he was actually gonna forgive her and return to the Spirit World. And if she mistreated Aries again, he'd just do it again... I-I think that was really noble of him,"

"Nothing more," said Capricorn, returning to the accused box.

The bird lady looked at her notebook again before slamming it shut.

"Permission to cross-examine the witness, Your Majesty?" she asked.

"Sure, go ahead," the Celestial Spirit King said in a bored tone.

The bird lady spread her wings and flew over to the witness stand.

"Miss Heartfillia, what did you think of Leo the Lion when you first met him as Loke?" she asked.

Oh no... this wasn't good for Leo's case.

"Well..." Lucy dragged it out "I, uh, I got the... he was... um..."

Due to years of trying to comfort Aries, Leo now didn't like to see _anyone _feeling unnerved. Particularly the Celestial Spirit Mage that saved his life and more.

"Relax, Lucy," he said, standing up in the accused stand "It's alright. I was a playboy who had multiple girlfriends at once and I ran from Lucy just because she was a Celestial Spirit Mage," and he sat down.

The entire Celestial Court murmured and the bird lady looked at Lucy again.

"Miss Heartfillia, how did you feel when Leo acted in such a way to you?" she asked.

"Well... at first I didn't even care because I didn't see him much but... He was the one who found my Celestial Spirit Keys when I lost them and I wanted to thank him but he kept running off. When I finally got the chance, he acted... weird. But, once I found out who he was and what happened, I realized why he acted strange around me and I don't hold any bad feelings towards him. I actually felt bad for acting so annoyed with him," Lucy said, trying to be kind while also telling the truth.

Aries was beginning to become even more scared for Leo as the trial went on. Even though everyone was saying things that proved Leo didn't deserve to pay for his father's crimes, that dang bird lady lawyer kept pointing out the bad. But he only did those things because he was trying to hide the fact he was Leo the Lion!


	4. Chapter 3: Sentence

Demons of the Past

Chapter 3:

Sentence

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><p>There was a recess while the Celestial Council decided on a verdict. Leo was back in his cell but Capricorn had gotten permission to have it unlocked so they could go in and be with him. Aries sat on the bench with him and put her arm around him for support and comfort.<p>

"What's with that lawyer? It's like she's a vulture circling a dying animal," said Gray.

"That's because she is. Her name's Veronica the Vulture of Victory. She wins at everything. She's the Victory Spirit but, because she's a bird lady and vicious, she's nicknamed Veronica the Vulture," said Aries "She's never lost at anything!"

"She even managed to beat you in the Miss Spirit World Pageant a while ago," Leo said and she blushed since everyone else didn't know she had entered in the first place.

"Well, she may win at everything but that doesn't mean she wins the way she wants too. She wants to get you on full charges but she'll still win the case even if you're only charged with one crime," said Capricorn "In other words, there's a chance of giving her a hollow victory,"

That made everyone feel a bit better about going up against the Victory Spirit.

"She's also Capricorn's ex-wife and she took everything he had in the divorce," said Leo with a snicker but Capricorn didn't react.

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><p>When the trial restarted, everyone took their seats and hoped Leo would only be charged with his father's lesser crimes. Aries was shaking with fear of what would happen to Leo and Lucy put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. A Spirit resembling a fox stood up and looked at the typewriter Spirit to read the verdict.<p>

"As members of the Celestial Council, we find Leo the Lion undeserving of being punished for his father's war crimes and treason against the crown," the fox read.

Everyone signed in relief as he was let off the hook for the worst of it. However, there was still the matter of the rest of the charges. But, it was up to the Celestial Spirit King to decide on his punishment. Said Spirit sat up in his seat and looked down at Leo.

"Leo the Lion, you are charged with your father's crimes due to the Hereditario Scelera act but it is obvious you are undeserving of his punishment," he said as Leo waited for the sentence to be declared "I hereby enact the *Poenitentia law meaning you have a day to bring in your father to face trial or be punished yourself,"

Leo looked mortified. He didn't know where his father was! He hadn't seen him in years! How was he supposed to track him down in one day?

"That's a day in Spirit World time, right? As in three months in Earthland?" he quickly asked.

The Celestial Spirit King nodded and everyone sighed in the relief of having more time. Aries was terrified at the thought of finding Leo's father. She had always been scared of him but she was still certainly going to help Leo with finding Claec the Lion.

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><p><strong>*Poenitentia: Latin for "Repentance" according to Google Translate.<strong>


	5. Chapter 4: Return from the Spirit World

**If I had to pick a Celestial Spirit that would be adorable Asuka's favourite, I'd pick Aries because she's the sweetest and fluffiest of them all. Who else would be Asuka's favourite? She is a little girl.**

**Also, I based Asuka's term-of-phrase off when she said "Mustache Man in charge" when Makarov was appointed to be the next Guild Master by Gildarts. That was the cutest thing ever!**

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><p><span>Demons of the Past<span>

Chapter 4:

Return from the Spirit World

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><p><em>...Earthland...<em>

Asuka clapped her hands as Vijeeter danced around the room. Bisca and Alzack watched her with smiles on their faces as their daughter laughed. It had been only a few weeks since part of Fairy Tail went to the Spirit World to help out Loke but she seemed to have forgotten. Makarov was sat cross-legged on a barstool as Lisanna wiped a pint glass.

"What's wrong, Master?" she asked him, seeing the concern on the old man's face.

"I'm worried about our friends in the Spirit World. They're my children so I worry greatly," Makarov said but then turned to the youngest Strauss sibling "You can't tell me you're not worried about your little fire-breathing _boyfriend, _can you?"

Lisanna squeaked and tightened her grip on the pint glass. She looked at Mirajane and Elfman where they did their own things across the room.

"Master, no one knows about... about me and Natsu yet except for Happy so... so please don't tell anyone," Lisanna stammered, putting the glass back under the counter "Who knows what Mira and Elfman will do to him when they find out,"

Makarov smiled at her.

"No worries, your secret's safe with me. It's wonderful to see my children growing up," he said, looking at her then at her siblings "But your brother and sister might not be so pleased,"

Lisanna blushed and bent down under the counter when there was a sudden flash of light.

"We're ba-ack!" came Natsu's voice.

When she stood up from behind the counter, she offered a smile to her secret boyfriend. Natsu gave her a sincere smile back and she blushed a light red.

"Where Lamby Girl?" Asuka asked Lucy.

"Sorry, Asuka, but Loke brought us back, not Aries," said the Celestial Spirit Mage.

"How'd it go? You've been gone for a month," asked Macao.

Leo groaned and collapsed into a chair.

"The only way to get Loke off the hook is to bring in his father," said Lucy "But, well..."

"Dear old Dad disappeared years ago!" Leo exclaimed in frustration "All the stinkin' Celestial Spirit King told me was he's in Earthland!"

"Well, maybe you could start by telling us your dad's _name_," said Gray.

Leo sighed.

"Claec... Claec the Lion," he said, a dark look in his eyes "I resemble him except he's got black hair instead of ginger,"

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><p>Everyone began trying to think of a way to locate a longtime missing Celestial Spirit. Leo was pretty much in despair about the situation. The only idea Lucy had was to use Crux. Since no one else had an idea, they went for it.<p>

"_Open, Gate of the Southern Cross! Crumudgeon!_" Lucy exclaimed and the Celestial Spirit appeared.

Leo was in Earthland by his own power so he stuck around.

"Hey, Grandpa Crux, mind doing a search for Claec the Lion? We need to find him within the next three months," the Celestial Spirit Mage asked him.

Crux nodded and fell asleep to search.

"Cross Man go night-night!" Asuka said, pointing at him from where her mother held her.

"This... might take a while," said Lucy.

"Well, call me when he's done. I'm going back to the Spirit World," said Leo.

"See ya, Loke," they bid him goodbye.

"Bye-bye, Mr. Lion Man," Asuka said, waving.

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><p><em>...Celestial Spirit World...<em>

Leo was collapsed on his sofa with Aries sitting on the other end. It had been a long day for them and it would be longer with them switching from Earthland and the Spirit World repeatedly. Aries saw the haunted look in his eyes as memories of his childhood came back to him. With a small smile, she moved closer to him and rested her head on his shoulder.

"Remember when you found out Taurus had been flirting with me? You nearly killed him!" she said with a smile and a giggle.

"I nearly ate him earlier that day. We were only teenagers at the time..." Leo said, putting an arm around her "That was... the day you all got me off the streets..."

It was an upsetting time. Claec had kicked Leo out following an argument over what happened to his mother when he was 13 and he spent the next two years living on the streets! When Aries had finally managed to track him down, he hadn't eaten in days and, having resorted to his most primal survival instincts, pounced on her. Leo managed to come to his senses before he killed her and let her take him to their friends. That's when he first met Taurus. He was still hungry but managed to restrain himself from eating the bull. They managed to find him a place to live and he was finally off the streets.

Aries wrapped her arms around him and the memories of her own encounters with Claec the Lion came to her. She held onto Leo and curled up into a ball with her head against his chest. Leo knew she was scared just by looking at her face and wrapped his arms around her.

"Is it the memory of Karen or my father that's making you tremble?" he asked, lifting her head and seeing the tears in her eyes.

"Y-Your father... he-he never liked me... when we first met... he wanted you to hunt me as your pray..." Aries whimpered "L-Leo... I-I lo-love..."

Leo put his finger to her wavering lip and tilted her head up to look at him.

"It's okay, I already know. You don't have to say it just yet but, some day, I hope you'll say it in return to me saying it to you," he gently said to her "Don't worry. If we find my father, I'll be with you and I won't let him near you..."

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><p><strong> To a loyal guest reviewer of mine who goes by the name "C". I had to remove your review of this story because you sweared. I don't like swearing but thank you for all the reviews you've sent me. <strong>


	6. Chapter 5: Dark Regulus

Demons of the Past

Chapter 5:

Dark Regulus

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><p><em>...Earthland...<em>

Fairy Tail awoke in the middle of the night when Crux suddenly declared he had completed his search.

"Claec the Lion, father of Leo the Lion, husband of Elani the Lioness of Light. Claec was a general in the losing side of the Celestial Spirit Civil War, fighting against his own son. He has a sealed criminal record and is wanted for war crimes but hasn't been seen since the end of the Civil War," Crux recited.

"Okay but is there anything about where he went?" Lucy asked "C'mon, Grandpa, we need something to work with,"

"Claec despises humans but is currently in Earthland. He-"

A darkness began to creep across Crux's cross-shaped head. The elderly Spirit lost his concentration and fell to the ground. His eyes were wide and he was shaking as the darkness spread across him.

"Crux!" Lucy exclaimed, fearing for her Celestial Spirit "Loke! If you can hear me in the Spirit World, we need you!"

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><p><em>...Celestial Spirit World...<em>

Aries was still trembling but, this time, it wasn't because of the thought of seeing Claec again. She had flashbacked to a time when Karen had called her a wimp and punished her for her cowadice. Leo was letting her cry out all her tears before trying to give her any words of comfort.

"I-I-I-" Aries stammered as she cried "I'M SORRY!" she finally cried out.

Leo gently pushed her away to look at her and he wiped her cheek with the cuff of his sleeve.

"Aries... you've done nothing wrong. You never have! Karen was a sick narcistist with no appreciation for forms of life other than her own kind. You didn't deserve what she did to you..." he said.

"But... you got banished because of me..." Aries said, fresh tears falling.

"No! Not because of you! Lucy was right when she said I had acted rashly, especially since Karen died because of me, but I just couldn't stand how she treated us anymore," Leo said, holding her to him "She abused us both but I could handle it since I'm built to take punches in battle... but you weren't meant to ever take that kind of torture. You were meant to bring peace and happiness to those around you. I know because... that's all you bring me,"

Aries sighed in relaxation and rested her head on his shoulder with his arms around her.

"Thank you, Leo, you always know what to say," she said.

Leo's eyes snapped open as he heard Lucy calling him but he regained his calm demeanour before the Little Lamb could feel it. He leaned over her horns and gently kissed the top of her head.

"Lucy's calling me but she can't summon me while Crumudgeon is in Earthland," he said to her "but I'll be back and you won't get rid of me easily,"

Aries looked up at him and he playfully tugged one of her horns. She cherished the smile he gave her as he disappeared and waited for his return.

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><p><em>...Earthland...<em>

Everyone was crowded around Crux as the strange darkness covered him. There was a flash of light and Leo appeared by them with his hands in his pockets.

"Hey, so did Old Man Cru fi-" before the Lion could finish, he saw the state of the other Spirit "What the heck?!" and he got on his knees beside them "What happened?"

"He was telling us what he found on Claec when this happened!" Lucy exclaimed.

Leo knew what this was. Dark Regulus. It was the magic his father used and the polar opposite of his own Regulus. He put his hand on top of Crux's head and activated Regulus. The darkness disappeared from Crux and he returned to the Spirit World.

"What the heck was that?" Natsu exclaimed.

"Dark Regulus... the opposite version of my Regulus magic," Leo explained "My father uses it. I guess Old Crumudgeon was about to reveal something that could lead us to him,"

Leo put his face in his hands and groaned. A dead end... how was he going to get out of this? How was he going to tell Aries his father could now project Dark Regulus? She wouldn't be able to calm herself... maybe it would be best if Leo didn't tell her.

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><p><strong>Okay, so the scene with Leo and Aries in the Spirit World happened only a few minutes after the end scene of the previous chapter. I'm just trying to figure out the time differences between the two dimensions. They're confusing! All I've figured out is that one year in Earthland is the same as four days in the Spirit World.<strong>


	7. Chapter 6: Hotspot

** This story is the first of my fanfics to include a B story. Said B story is the (secret) relationship of Natsu and Lisanna.**

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><p><span>Demons of the Past<span>

Chapter 6:

Hotspot

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><p>"Why don't we just go door to door asking if anyone's seen him?" Natsu asked.<p>

"We don't have that much time, bonehead!" Gray yelled at him.

As usual, the two of them began to fight. Lisanna just rolled her eyes as she watched but then noticed how cute Natsu was when he was receiving a punch to the face. She put aside the mug she was wiping clean, rested her head in her hands and looked at him dreamily. Juvia was actually doing the same thing by looking at Gray but hidden under the table.

Then Natsu face-planted into the ground and retaliated by kicking Gray's face into a support beam. Both had bleeding noses and black eyes from the fight so Makarov yelled at them to knock it off. Seeing how banged up Natsu was, Lisanna got up and followed him as he walked off.

Natsu went behind the building and began washing his face with water from the well. Lisanna soon stepped forward and began dabbing at his cuts and bruises with a dampened cloth as they knelt on the ground. Natsu twitched in pain but insisted he didn't feel a thing. As Lisanna reached over to re-wet the cloth, he took off his precious scarf and wrapped it around her shoulders. She straightened up and he tied the ends together in front of her. That was sort of a thing about them. Whenever they were together, Lisanna was the one to wear the scarf.

"This whole hiding our relationship thing really sucks," Natsu said, stroking a strand of her hair back into place.

"I know," said Lisanna "but I don't want Mirajane and Elfman to murder you, sweetie,"

Natsu looked at her concerned face in a way that made her look at him in confusion.

"Ya know, you're pretty cute when you're worried," he said.

Lisanna was taken slightly aback by the sudden compliment but smiled as a light blush appeared on her cheeks. Natsu got to his feet and offered her a hand up. When she took it, he pulled her into his arms and she couldn't help but laugh.

"Natsu, someone might see," Lisanna said with a smile and a blush.

"As long as it isn't Elfman or Mira, I'm sure they can keep a secret," he said with a cheeky smile.

She put her hands on his shoulders and he kissed her.

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><p>Levy came running into the guild hall with her Gale-Force Glasses still on her face. In her hands was the book she got from the Spirit World. Everyone looked at her and she put the book on a table before sitting down.<p>

"What's up, Levy?" Lucy asked, seeing the look on her face.

"I've got a lead! I might know where Loke's father is!" Levy exclaimed and she opened her book up "According to this, there's a few Celestial hotspots in this world where Celestial Spirits can survive indefinitely. If Claec's in Earthland with no Celestial Wizard and has been here presumably since the end of the Celestial Spirit Civil War, then he must be in one of these places," she looked at Leo "Am I right?"

"I-I guess it's possible but no one knows where those hotspots even are. If I knew, I would have gone to one during my banishment," said Leo "I think there's a map of them but it's in the Celestial Spirit King's palace... or his castle. One of them was built for war purposes and the other for living in, can't remember which one,"

"Any way to get it?" Levy asked.

"The King's the judge over my trial. It would be a conflict of interest!" Leo complained "Unless..."

"Unless... what?" Lucy asked.

"I'll be back," he said then disappeared.

* * *

><p><em>...Celestial Spirit World...<em>

Aries hadn't moved from where she sat on Leo's sofa yet when he reappeared beside her. She smiled at him and he playfully tugged her horn. He always tugged her horns to mess with her and it made her giggle every time.

"So, how long has it been in Earthland since this all started?" Aries asked.

"A day but it's only been an hour here," Leo said "This time difference gives me a headache,"

"Let me help," said the Lamb.

She gently began rubbing his temples and he let out a relaxed sigh. Then he remembered the reason he returned to the Spirit World. Leo sat up and turned to his unofficial girlfriend.

"Aries, I need you to get the map of all the Celestial Magic hotspots in Earthland! The Celestial Spirit King has it," he said "Levy thinks if my father is in Earthland then he must be in one of them,"

Aries bit her lower lip.

"I-I'm not sure... I... How am I- meant to get it?" she asked, worried "It's in the Celestial Spirit King's palace. How am I meant to-"

Leo suddenly wrapped his arms around her and held her close.

"I know it's a lot to ask for... but it's the only lead we've got... I'm sorry to ask it of you," he said and he cupped her cheek in his hand "I just need you to find out where the hotspots are then point them out on a map,"

Aries nodded.

"Of course... I'd do anything for you, Leo," she said "You better get back to Earthland before too long passes,"

Leo gently laid a kiss on her lips and disappeared before he pulled away from her. Aries sighed and clenched her fists. He hardly ever asked anything of her because he hated putting any pressure on her. Now that he had... she wouldn't mess up!


	8. Chapter 7: Aries' Mission, pt 1

**How time works between the Spirit World and Earthland:**

**3 Earthland months (90 days) is the same as 1 Celestial day.**

**90 Earthland days x 365 days (1 year) = 32850 Earthland days**

**32850 days devided-by 12 months (1 year) = 2737.5 (2737 Earthland years and 6 Earthland months)**

**1 Celestial year is the same as 2737 Earthland years and 6 Earthland months. Times that by the age of your Celestial Spirit and you'll have their age in Earthland years. Assuming Leo is 18-Celestial-years-old, then he's 49266-Earthland-years-old.**

**If there's a mistake with my maths, tell me.**

* * *

><p><span>Demons of the Past<span>

Chapter 7:

Aries' Mission, pt. 1

* * *

><p><em>...Celestial Spirit World...<em>

Aries put a raggedy brown cloak on to hide her fluffy white clothes, her curly pink hair and her horns. She had a photographic memory so she just had to see the map then point it out on a map for Levy. She managed to sneak into a wagon going into the palace and curled up so her cloak camouflaged her into a pile of rags. Aries had gone over every inch of her plan in fine detail to make sure nothing would go wrong. She didn't like messing up and she didn't want to fail Leo.

When the wagon came to a stop inside of the palace gates, she looked up and made sure her hood was pulled over her horns. Leo always said her horns were cute but she found them to be an inconvenience (especially when she wanted to wear a hat). Aries carefully maneuvered out of the wagon and quickly ran through the crowd of government officials in the courtyard to one of the front doors. The palace had multiple front doors since Spirits came in all shapes and sizes.

After sneaking through the door her size, Aries hid behind a pillar to collect her thoughts.

"Okay, I'm in the palace. The hotspot map is in the library on the 3rd floor. There's 17 staircases that lead up there and... uh..." she tried to think of her next step "Get to the 3rd floor! Yeah, that's what I've got to do,"

But how to do that without getting caught? She looked up at the pillar and noticed a ledge at the very top of all the pillars that was perfect for climbing along. Now she just needed to climb up the perfectly smooth marble pillar. Aries remembered a trick Leo had taught her and she created a pink rope of cloud. She swung it around the pillar and pulled tight. She stepped onto the pillar and shifted the rope up to support her as she climbed up. Aries huffed at the effort and could just hope that no one saw her.

* * *

><p>When she finally reached the ledge, she immediately headed towards the stairs. She held her arms out to help her balance as she walked along the rafters in the ceiling. As Aries made her way up to the 3rd floor, she saw Veronica down below. The Victory Spirit was looking at a case file when she suddenly threw it across the floor.<p>

"Stinkin' Leo! He just _had _to get Capricorn as his lawyer! The one guy who knows the limit to my 100% win rate!" she shouted and she glared at the papers "Stupid, Capricorn! Why do you have to be the only man I've ever loved?! GAAH!"

In frustration, she let out her magic power, called Victory Strike, and incinerated the case file. Veronica was pretty much everything career wise. She was a lawyer, politician, founder of the school system, an industrialist, etc. Aries continued to walk along the rafters but kept her eye on the Victory Spirit.

The Lamb crawled upwards as the pillars went up the stairs and stopped to rest. She was panting from the strenuous workout that came with continuously crawling. Aries began thinking about how she would do this for Leo. He'd done so much for her over the course of their lives. Whether it was letting her win a race or protecting her from Karen. Even if he didn't think so, she owed the Lion and she'd start by helping him find his father.

Unfortunately, the thought of Karen Lilica had entered her mind and she was prone to flashbacks about the abuse she had endured at her hands. Aries curled up on the ledge, covered her ears and screwed her eyes shut while shaking her head. The insults! They hurt her...

_"You stupid little idiot!"_

_"I don't care! If you dare defy me, you'll pay!"_

_"Shut it! Or you'll be entertaining my suitors, you little bimbo!"_

Aries hated it when Karen made her entertain all her admirers. They'd start trying to flirt with her and one once pulled her hair! She used to run from them (but they'd chase her) and she'd hide from them (usually in a closet). When Karen found out she was hiding, she began threatening her and saying it would hurt her social standing if her Celestial Spirits were known as cowards.

Aries fell onto her side and she tried to think about Leo. When she returned to the Spirit World after Karen abused her, he would hug her and rub her back as she cried on his shoulder. And, when she was hurt, he'd clean up her wounds and bandage her up. Leo'd tell her sweet things and hold her. Then he'd take her out for some fun and games.

Aries smiled. Leo could always make her smile in the darkest of times. Keeping in mind all the good things her Gentle Lion had done with her, she began crawling along the ledge again. She kept muttering situations where Leo had helped her and began muttering about situations from their childhood. Aries' smile grew and tears of joy began spilling. Leo had always helped her out of her flashbacks. She felt like Leo was going to be proud of her for getting out of it alone. Leo was the one who really helped her through her flashbacks. He did research on ways to help her cope with what happened to her.

* * *

><p><strong> This chapter was split into a 2-parter because of length. I aim to keep my chapters 600700-1000 words. ****My goal when writing a fanfic is to make it short and sweet. Something meaningful yet won't take up the rest of your day to read.**

**I also have a new poll so go check that out.**


	9. Chapter 8: Aries' Mission, pt 2

Demons of the Past

Chapter 8:

Aries' Mission, pt. 2

* * *

><p><em>...Celestial Spirit World...<em>

Aries slid down a marble pillar and ran over to the Celestial Spirit King-sized door on the 3rd floor, 6th door on the right. With surprising ease, she pushed the giant door open and stepped inside. The giant room was extremely tall with an infinite amount of books on shelves. There was a burning fireplace with a tall chimney with framed papers mounted all the way up it. Running around the library were all the plues (the nickname for that brand of Celestial Spirits had caught on). They were carrying tall stacks of books and trying to put them all away.

Aries needed a complete directory of the entire library but she didn't even know where to start. A plue, who was the actual Plue, came shivering towards her and offered her a thin booklet with a worn white cover. She took it from her fellow Celestial Spirit and opened it up. It was the directory! Just what she needed! Aries flipped through the pages and looked for the hotspot map. One problem, she didn't know its official name and that was the name it was listed under. Because of this, she had to skim over every page to do with a map.

She was curled up against a wall with the book in her lap and about to fall asleep. With one eye closed and her head lolling, she skimmed over a sentence about "a way to stay out of the Spirit World indefinitely". Aries suddenly sat up at the realization of what she just read.

"The Map of Unity, locations in Earthland where it and the Celestial Spirit World intertwine. Places where a Celestial Spirit can survive indefinitely without the aid of a Celestial Wizard," she read.

That was it! The Lamb saw its location at 13th up and 4th across on the chimney. Aries despaired to climb again but she would do it for her Gentle Lion. She walked over to the fireplace and Plue threw a bucket of water on the fire to put it out for her. With no way to climb up safely, she used her powers to create a wool podium beneath her feet and lift her up. Aries counted 13 up as she was lifted up then turned her head to the 4th picture frame. Inside was a yellow aged piece of paper with some singed edges. Carefully, she studied the map best she could when she felt a thudding.

In fright, Aries lowered her wool pillar and hid behind a pile of books. The door swung open and the Celestial Spirit King walked in the entire room began to shake and grow to the size of the King. He fell back in a recliner and snapped his fingers. The fire relit itself and the Celestial Spirit King lay back, as if asleep.

Fearing this to be her only chance to escape, Aries dashed out from the pile of books and ran for the door the King had left ajar. She kept going over the map in her head but feared she didn't quite have it all. Had she failed her beloved Leo? Would he be disappointed? Angry?!

"Aries, didn't you come for something?"

Aries stopped in her tracks and stood perfectly still. A draft from the slightly opened doorway blew in and flicked her hood off, revealing her curly pink hair and horns. She steadily turned around and fell to her knees, bowing.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry! Oh, please forgive me, my King, I-I was... was just trying to..." the timid Spirit gulped as tears of fright spilled "to h-help... Leo..." she finally managed to stammer out.

The Celestial Spirit King got to his feet, reached down and picked Aries up in his hand. She looked up at him, sitting with her legs tucked in with one hand to her heart. Her heart was pounding from being picked up.

"You believe Claec may be in one of the Celestial Magic hotspots?" the Celestial Spirit King asked.

"Well... that's the only lead they've got," Aries said "I-I just need to see the map! I'm sorry for breaking in! I'm sorry! I just- I didn't want to let Leo down! He says I don't owe him anything but I owe him _everything!"_

The Celestial Spirit King let out a hearty laugh before lifting her up to the hotspot map.

"Get a good look, young Aries, you'll need to know it to heart," he said.

Nervously, she looked at the map and committed it to memory.

* * *

><p>Leo returned from Earthland to see Aries waiting for him outside of his apartment. He immediately welcomed her with a hug and gentle tug of the horns.<p>

"Listen, Aries, I'm sorry for asking you to find the map. I'm just desperate to have anything to do with my father out of my life," he apologized "I really care about you and I don't want to put any pressure on you,"

Aries wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him back.

"Well, I still got it," she said and tapped her temple "It's all right here. I just need to point at a map and you can start looking for your father,"

Leo smiled and lifted her up in his arms.

"Aries! That's wonderful! You're amazing!" he exclaimed and spun her around "I could kiss you!" and that's what he did.

"I'd do anything for you, my Gentle Lion," she said after they pulled away but kept their foreheads against each other "I owe you my life,"

"You owe me nothing," Leo said "You are all I need to be happy,"

Aries smiled with a light blush on her cheeks. The Lion put her back on the ground and the Lamb gazed up at him. She felt like she had started to repay him for all that he had done for her. Excitedly, Aries cupped the sides of his head and kissed the tip of his nose with a smile.

"I better go tell Levy all the locations," she said "But, I'll be right back so don't go anywhere," and she disappeared with a puff of pink clouds.

Leo smiled. He didn't feel like Aries owed him but she did and arguing with her was futile so he let her get it out of her system. He leaned against the wall with his hands in his pockets and waited for her to return.


	10. Chapter 9: Searching

Demons of the Past

Chapter 9:

Searching

* * *

><p><em>...Earthland...<em>

"There's one here, here and here but it seems the land mass it was on has since aroded away," said Aries, pointing at the last three locations.

"Okay," said Levy, drawing a cross where she pointed "That's all? Then we've got an idea of where to look. Thanks, Aries, you can go back to the Spirit World now,"

Aries disappeared in a puff of pink clouds and was replaced by Leo almost instantly. He looked at the map before looking at his guildmates.

"You guys got a plan or what?" he asked.

"Seems we should split into groups and search each location," said Erza "Lucy, Loke and-"

"Let me stop you there," interrupted Leo "My father is a cruel and dangerous demon that you guys don't know how to handle. I, at least, know his fighting moves, not to say I can best him, but it would be best if a single team went to checkout every location,"

Everyone was silent as interrupting Erza was practically a death sentence. Leo began to look sheepish in the anticipation of her reaction.

"Loke..." everyone began to feel doomed as she spoke "That... is probably a better idea," everyone almost died at the sudden tone of acknowledgement "You, Lucy, Natsu, Gray, myself and Wendy will go. Levy, you stay here to coordinate our efforts and Cana, you use your cards to decide which spot we should search first,"

"Hang on there!" Carla suddenly exclaimed "If this Claec person is so dangerous, then I'm not letting Wendy go! For goodness' sake, she's a child! On top of that, she's recovering from a nasty cold but was too studdorn to even tell anyone she was sick!"

Wendy had been sitting in the corner but got up when Carla began insisting she'd stay behind.

"I-I'm f-fine... I was sick but... I-I'm already b-better! A-A-A-" Wendy began to wrinkle her nose as a sneeze began to emerge "AAAAAH-CHOOOOOOO!" and there was a gust of hurricane winds.

Everyone held onto something as the winds blew and everything was blown back. When it was over, Wendy sniffed and Mirajane took her away to take care of her as she recovered from her cold.

"Well then..." Erza said and looked for a replacement for Wendy "Ah, Lisanna, a Take-Over Mage could be useful on this mission and... Juvia! Your Water Magic should help strengthen Gray's attack if we run into Claec,"

Lisanna couldn't exactly say no but she was nervous about her relationship with Natsu coming up. The two secretly exchanged a glance at each other but he seemed calmer than she was. Natsu always was more laid back than her.

* * *

><p>With a snap of his fingers, Leo resumed his human form as Loke and hid the source of his Regulus magic in his ring (as he did during his banishment). Cana threw her cards at the map to decide where they should go first. And so... they were off. Leo, or Loke (since he was undercover again), never thought he would ever <em>purposely<em> go looking for his father. As they walked away from the Guild Hall, he nervously rubbed his thumb over his ring. The ring was an heirloom from his mother's side that he held dear to his heart. Ever since her disappearance, Loke had kept it with him because it made him feel close to her.

Lisanna fiddled with her fingers as she walked behind Natsu along the stone road. Happy was sitting on his head with his paws over his mouth to hide his giggles. If only the blue Exeed hadn't looked out the window when Natsu kissed her hello when she came for a date. After that, he wouldn't let it go! It took a _lot _of fish to convince him not to tell the whole guild! But the look on Happy's face made her blush.

"So, how far is it?" Natsu asked.

"We'll have to use a vehicle, if that's what you're really asking," Erza said, looking at the map "The first hotspot is in the middle of a forest near the cost,"

Natsu groaned as if he was already getting motion sick and Lisanna giggled at the look of dispair on his face.

* * *

><p><strong> This was unfortunately short but they're on the search now.<strong>


	11. Chapter 10: Where We Came From

Demons of the Past

Chapter 10:

Where We Come From

* * *

><p><em>"Leo? Leo! Let's go play! Leo?" a young Aries called over the fence.<em>

_"Aries? My daddy said we can't be friends anymore. Why are you here?" Leo asked._

_"I don't care what your daddy said. I like you and I want you to be my friend," Aries said and she smiled._

_Leo looked at her and smiled. He soon gave up on his training exercise, hopped the fence and the two of them began a game of tag. At the time, they didn't know Leo's mother had seen them let alone sketched them._

Aries looked at the sketch of a 4-year-old Leo chasing her on all fours. She smiled at it and saw the smile that was perfectly captured in the sketch of Leo. She hadn't told him she had this sketch by his mother. She had taken it from his apartment after he got banished to remember him by.

"Oh, Leo, I wish we could go back to when things were simpler," Aries said and tears began to fall.

She had felt awful when he was banished. Every day felt like the three months he experienced. By the end, she felt like it had been as long as he did. When Leo wrapped his arms around her after she made her contract with Lucy, Aries had broken down into tears. He had comforted her and that was the spark of their romance.

"Be careful, my Gentle Lion, come back to me," she begged and held the sketch to her heart as she fell back on her bed despite it not being night yet.

* * *

><p><em>...Earthland...<em>

After a long magicmobile ride, Natsu was about ready to die as they set up camp for the night. Lisanna smiled at him and reached into her pocket. She took out a box of matches and moved to sit next to her secret boyfriend. She struck a match, provoked Natsu to open his mouth and tossed the lit match in. Slowly, Lisanna lifted his jaw up and down to get him to eat it. He coughed out some smoak before getting his senses back and looking at her.

"Thanks, Lisanna, you always know what I need," Natsu said.

The two smiled at each other and Loke recognized the glint in their eyes. Even if they were trying to hide it, he could tell they were in love. It was the same glint that came to his own eyes when with or thinking of Aries. The Lion climbed on top of a rock, sat down and looked up at the night sky. He smiled when he spotted the Aries constellation and remembered when the Celestial Spirit King rewarded the 12 Golden Zodiac for their efforts in the war with their own constellations. He remembered how Aries had, while they were watching the stars be placed, slyly twined her fingers with his. The two had blushed and sheepishly smiled.

Lucy climbed onto the rock and sat beside him. There was a cool breeze and she zipped up her hoodie even more.

"So... you want to tell me what this whole war thing was about?" she asked him, wrapping her arms around her knees.

Loke sighed and smiled.

"Two Celestial years ago, the Spirits became concerned whether or not to make contact with Earthland. A civil war broke out and my friends and I were caught in the middle of it. When we began to fight to be allowed to cross the worlds, it made a huge difference in the outcome. Some people even think we ended the war singlehandedly," he explained "That was... the last time I saw Claec, that is... my father,"

Lucy saw the sad look in his eyes. She could tell Claec had broken his own son's spirit but Loke seemed to have once held the hope of having a real father/son relationship with him. Obviously, that had never happened since he now openly showed his hatred for Claec. But, what did she know? This was coming from a look in his eyes.

"He wanted me to chase her..."

"What?" Lucy asked, the sudden comment jerking her from her thoughts.

"Aries... Claec wanted me to chase her and imbude her with the fear of the Lion Spirits. He took me on my first hunting trip when I was 4 to teach me how a lion finds food. It was going well and I watched him catch deers and even gazelles! Then... on the third day... we came to a planetary body that looked like a Spring meadow," Loke sighed, messing with the ends of his shoelaces "We saw a little girl with pink hair and wearing a lamb costume sitting under a blossom tree and making a daisy chain... Claec wanted me to hunt her then let her get away so she'd fear our kind for the rest of her life,"

Lucy gasped and put her hand over her mouth in shock.

"He... wanted you, a 4-year-old boy, to traumatize her?" she asked.

"I was reluctant but I went along with it. When I was circling her, I put my hand on a rock and cried out. Aries saw me and ran to my side. She didn't care I was a Lion Spirit and she was a Lamb Spirit, she took me to her herd and her mother bandaged my hand up. Then, Claec jumped from within the trees and scared them all off with a lion roar. That was when I realized how bad things were for me..." Loke looked at Lucy and saw she was close to tears by his story "Aries still wanted to be friends and found the old priary house my family lived in. That's how we first met... my mother was overjoyed I had a friend but my father... he never showed compassion to me again,"

Lucy realized she was staring and averted her eyes but tears were still shed. She didn't even notice until Loke wiped them away with the cuff of his green coat.

"Please... I hate it when people cry for me... The past is the past, that can't be changed, the present is now and it shapes us but the future, the future is what we live for and strive to reach. It's our present that shapes who we are in the future so the past just doesn't better. It's what has been but it shouldn't limit what will be,"

"That was... surprisingly deep. You normally just come out with pick-up lines," Lucy said, looking at him in shock.

"Actually, my mom used to say that," Loke said, looking up at the stars "Elani the Lioness of Light... it's said she was the daughter of the stars themselves..."

"Whoa, seriously? Wait a minute, how do Celestial Spirits have kids anyway?" Lucy asked.

"Oh, just like humans but, well, my friends and I are actually only the second generation. My parents, Capricorn, Old Crux, Veronica, they were all the first generation," he explained "My father was said to be born of a lion's roar and a human women's fear of it,"

"So, your maternal grandparents were the stars and your paternal grandparents was a lion roar and a lady's fear?" Lucy asked and he nodded "That's... kinda messed up,"

"So is the Spirit World..." said Loke "You should get some sleep. I'm gonna go back to the Spirit World so summon me when it's morning,"

Lucy nodded and slid off the rock. She watched as he lay across the rock like a lion would and disappeared in a flash of light.


	12. Chapter 11: Need a Ride?

Demons of the Past

Chapter 11:

Need a Ride?

* * *

><p>The next day, the group of Fairy Tail wizards came to the town Blue Pegasus was centered in. Needing a break from walking and wanting to visit old friends, they decided to pop in to see how everything was. Lucy was sitting on a barstool as she cleaned her Celestial Spirit Keys. Master Bob was happily cleaning a pint glass when a pair of certain Zodiac Keys caught his eye. Obviously, he didn't show his surprise or relief.<p>

"My, I haven't seen those two in years," he said and Lucy looked up at him "Aries and Leo. So, Hibiki was telling the truth. The Lion's alive and now Aries has found a kind owner as she deserves,"

Lucy picked up the keys in question and put her others in her little pouch.

"Yeah... Actually, Leo was a member of Fairy Tail under the alias Loke and I managed to convince the Celestial Spirit King to change his verdict and Leo's punishment," she said "I got Aries after the whole Oracion Seis thing,"

"Karen put them through so much... how are they doing?" Master Bob asked.

"Pretty good, I think. Loke's recovered his magic energy and he's even dating Aries. They aren't official yet but I think he really loves her," Lucy said, placing the two keys beside each other on the counter "If it weren't for this Claec thing, I think they'd be truly happy..."

"Claec? Who's he?" Bob asked, cocking his head to the side.

The Celestial Wizard felt sheepish for forgetting to tell him about their mission but she just picked up the Lion's key.

"Let Loke tell you," she said "_Open, gate of the Lion! Leo!_"

* * *

><p><em>...Celestial Spirit World...<em>

Aries had come calling with some of her delectable chocolate chip cookies to try and cheer Leo up (at least a little bit). The two sat on the floor of his living room with the cookie tin between them and a glass of milk each. Leo dunked a cookie, bit it and lay back with his arms behind his head and the cookie still between his teeth. Aries looked at the hopeless look in his eyes and quickly finished her current cookie before speaking.

"I'm, uh, I'm..." she stammered, unsure of what to say.

Leo looked at her, finally bit through his cookie and sat up.

"Yeah? What are you going to say?" he asked.

"I-I'm sorry! Forget it! It was stupid anyway..." Aries mumbled, stuffing a full cookie into her mouth to stop herself from talking.

"My Little Lamb..." Leo said, pushing his glasses back up his nose "You never sound stupid. In fact, your stammering is one of your cutest features. So, what were you going to say?"

Aries remained silent as she chewed the cookie stuffed in her face. Leo reached over and gently brushed the cookie crumbs off her cheeks. The simple act caused the Lamb to blush a light red.

"I... I'm thinking of changing up my look... I'd like to try wearing... wearing a jacket and... and maybe... uh..." she stammered.

Leo got up and moved to be sitting beside her. He put his arm around her and gently kissed her forehead.

"I think you'll be adorable in whatever you choose to wear," he said and tilted her head up to look at him "No matter what, you'll always be beautiful in my eyes,"

Aries smiled and rested her head on his shoulder, wrapping her arms around his waist. They relaxed into each other's arms when Leo stiffened.

"Lucy's... calling..." he said, regrettably "I'd love to stay but duty calls,"

He kissed her forehead again and disappeared before he could pull away. Aries sighed and continued to nibble at the cookies, waiting for him to return to her.

* * *

><p><em>...Earthland...<em>

"Hey, beautiful, whatch'ya need?" Leo asked but froze when he realized what guild hall they were in.

"Leo! 10 years is too long!" Master Bob exclaimed.

Leo looked around and recognized some of the older Blue Pegasus members. They all stared at him and some whispered to each other. Even those who joined after the Karen Lillica incident had heard the stories of Leo.

"Lucy, what the heck?" Leo hissed at her.

"Master Bob wants to know about the whole Claec thing and I thought you were the best one to answer him," Lucy explained.

Master Bob phased through the counter and sat down on the stool next to Lucy. Leo pushed his glasses back up his nose and looked down with a sigh. The entire guild hall had gone quiet and even Hibiki and Jenny had come out of their own little world to listen.

"Leo? Who's Claec?" Bob asked out of concern.

"He's... he's my father! Okay? My dead beat dad is a criminal and if I don't bring him in, I'm gonna pay for his crimes..." Leo hissed, bored of telling this story and turned to Lucy "Can I go now? You pulled me away from Aries..."

"Someone's in a bad mood," said his Celestial Wizard with a smile "Okay, I'll send you back to your little girlfriend,"

"Say hi to Aries from your old guild," said Master Bob "I am sorry for what happened to her..."

Leo nodded and disappeared. Hibiki, accompanied by the rest of the Trimens, stepped forward to the visiting Fairy Tail wizards.

"You know, the Christina can get you anywhere in Fiore in half the time. We'll happily give you a ride," said Hibiki as they ignored Erza punching Ichiya away from her "After everything Karen did and everything Leo and Aries went through, it's the least we can do,"

Natsu groaned at the thought of more travel and Lisanna managed to give him a reassuring kiss on the cheek without anyone seeing. He looked like a lost puppy with the fearful look in his eyes. Lisanna smiled at him and patted his mess of pale pink hair.

* * *

><p><strong>I have finally caught up with the Fairy Tail dub! I've now seen up to episode 162 (I think, about that mark). If there are more English dubbed episodes, someone tell me where I can see them! Please! I needs to know what happens...<strong>


	13. Chapter 12: Closing In

Demons of the Past

Chapter 12:

Closing In

* * *

><p><em>...Celestial Spirit World...<em>

The weather had turned so Aries was trying to light the fire in Leo's living room. She was having a hard time trying to light a match and her fingers were trembling as memories of Claec came to her. After failing to light yet another match, she dropped the match box and covered her face with her hands. Tears began to seep through her fingers when she felt the warmth of a fire. She looked up to see Leo crouching beside her and warming his hands up. He smiled at Aries before pulling her into his arms and began stroking her fluffy hair.

"Aries... Fairy Tail was visiting Blue Pegasus. I saw Master Bob again and..." he sighed and kissed her temple.

Aries wrapped her arms around him and she lost herself in the feel of his messy ginger mane. After only a second, she felt him shudder as he began to cry. Leo held onto her as if she would disappear and she held onto him. It was strange to think but sometimes Leo was the weak one and needed Aries to be strong.

"Aries... I'm scared... I'm scared of my father... I don't want to find him and I don't want you to have to see him again," the Lion cried.

Aries curled up in his lap and cuddled up to him. It was like when they were children. She was pretty much his security blanket when he was scared. Leo sniffed as he held her and caught a whiff of her cotten candy smell.

"Don't worry, my Gentle Lion, I'll be with you. I won't leave your side. We'll brave this thing together," she said, cupping his cheek "You'll never be alone as long as I'm here,"

They clutched each other as the stress set in. At that moment, all Leo wanted was to tell her how much he loved her but it was too soon. Sure, they'd known each other for years but they'd only been dating for a short while.

After composing himself, Leo let go of the Lamb and she climbed out of his lap. The fire was still going but was dwindling. He tossed a log in to keep it going and he got to his feet.

"I'm... sorry... for putting all of that on you," he said, pushing his shades further up his nose "My problems are mine. I shouldn't dump them on you,"

Aries looked at him and sighed. Leo still didn't get that he didn't have to hide his emotions from her. She loved him even if she hadn't said it yet and she wanted to be with him for as long as possible.

* * *

><p><em>...Earthland...<em>

The Christina sawed through the clouds above Fiore in the direction of the first hotspot. Natsu was collapsed on a sofa as Lisanna comforted him through his motion sickness. Juvia was spying on Gray, who had taken his shirt off. Erza was looking over the map and Lucy was just about done communicating with Levy through one of Cana's cards.

"So, this Claec guy is one of the baddest guys in the Spirit World?" Eve asked.

"While we were looking for a way to find Claec, I heard Loke call him a heartless demon without conscious or compassion," said Lucy, looking up at the Trimens up on the balcony above them.

"Heavy. Leo must_ really_ not like this guy," said Ren "I saw Karen summon him once during a big battle, he was crazy strong so it's hard to think he's scared of his own father,"

"You'd be smart to fear him too..." came Leo's voice as he appeared in Earthland.

"Loke! You didn't have to come back yet," said Lucy.

"My ears were burning. What were you all gossiping about?" Leo asked, seemingly irritated.

Everyone began exchanging looks about how to answer him.

"According to that map of yours, we'll be arriving soon," said Hibiki, breaking the silence "But, there's absolutely nothing out here,"

Leo suddenly felt like he was back in the Spirit World but was certainly in Earthland. Any strength he'd lost from the few minutes he'd been there was replenished. They were on the outskirts of the hotspot for sure. If Cana's cards were right, he was the closest to his father he'd been for two Celestial years (thousands of years in Earthland). There was a puff of pink clouds and Aries appeared. Lucy put the Lamb's key away after summoning her to give Leo some emotional support.

"Leo? Are you okay?" Aries asked, stepping forward and putting her hand on his shoulder.

Leo turned around and looked at her. She had changed outfits to a white fluffy dress with a pink turtle neck, a brown belt around her hips, yellow tights, brown knee-high boots, pink denim bolero jacket and a pink beret that sat firmly between her horns.

"Aries..." he said.

"Lucy thought you could use my support," she said, stepping away from him "Sorry if... if you don't want me here but... I think you need... someone here for you... and... and the thought of... of someone else being... being there for you... made me feel... jealous,"

Leo walked in front of her and took hold of her shoulders before pressing his lips to hers. Aries melted against him and took hold of his jacket in her hands. The Trimens that were around for the whole "Karen Lilica incident" looked at each other from the display of affection. Juvia watched enviously, wishing Gray would kiss her in such a gentle yet passionate way. When Leo pulled away, he left Aries in a daze and leaned his forehead against hers.

"There's no one I'd rather have by my side, my Little Lamb," he said to her, taking her hand in one hand and putting the other behind her head as he kissed her forehead "And the thought of you being jealous... will you ever stop being adorable?"

A smile crept across Aries' face and a light blush appeared on her cheeks as she realized everyone was watching. Lucy smiled at them, happy to see Leo cheering up from the whole situation and Aries becoming just ever-so slightly more confident. Then everything was snapped back into reality as Ichiya tried to kiss Erza in a similar way and was punished for it.

* * *

><p><strong>Aries just got promoted from recurring character to main character so she'll be accompanying Leo, Lucy, Lisanna, Natsu, Gray, Juvia and Erza on their quest to find Claec. <strong>

**Question, do you want me to keep the Trimens in? And if you do, what do you want to happen with them?**

**Bt-dubs, I'm DYING to get Ren to make a reference to Sherry (Sherri? I'm not sure how to spell her name)! They remind me of Gray and Juvia if only Gray would FINALLY reciprocate her feelings!**


End file.
